LegiStorm

Freddie Mac has a new advocate from the Hill.

Mark Gilbride joined the government-sponsored mortgage-purchasing company this month as a senior government-relations professional.

He spent the last eight years with Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), most recently as legislative director and financial-services policy adviser. Stivers sits on the House Financial Services Committee, which regulates Freddie Mac.

The House Armed Services Committee has picked up a lobbyist who's represented several heavy hitters of the defense world.

Jeff Bozman joined the bipartisan committee staff this month as counsel.

He comes from Covington & Burling, where he was most recently special counsel. His lobbying clients included Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

A Democratic senator's top policy aide has left the Hill for a controversy-riddled multinational manufacturer.

Virgilio Barrera is now director of government and public affairs at LafargeHolcim. Lafarge, a French company that later merged with Holcim to form LafargeHolcim, has found itself at the center of several controversies, including charges of paying money to ISIS in order to keep its business running in Syria. It's also faced boycotts over its willingness to provide cement to build President Trump's Mexican border wall.

Barrera comes from the office of Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), where he was legislative director. He's also worked for ex-Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and as a lobbyist for Holland & Knight and the Western Growers Association.

Democrats' town halls have more than doubled since two years ago, while Republican numbers have plummeted.

Since June 1, Republicans have held only 52 town halls, or 19 percent of all town halls. Democrats have held 211 events since June. During the same time period in 2018, Republicans held 54 percent of town halls - 109 events versus Democrats' 91.

Although both parties have decreased the number of town halls since the spring, GOP town halls have dropped at a much faster rate. In April, Republicans held 182 town halls - a third of the 547 events.

Neither party has held an in-person town hall since March, instead opting to hold events mainly by phone and Facebook. Participation by members in town halls can help gauge which party feels its messages are resonating more with the public. The change is all the more striking since telephone town halls offer members much greater control over their messages than in-person town halls that can be attended by throngs of angry activists.

Rep. Andy Biggs's (R-Ariz.) first and only chief of staff has left for the construction industry.

Deborah Mazol is now director of federal affairs at the National Roofing Contractors Association. The trade group lobbies on taxes, labor and immigration, among other issues.

Mazol had helmed Bigg's staff since he took office in 2017. She previously worked for ex-Rep. Reid Ribble, Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, all Wisconsin Republicans.